“The most important thing is that acting can’t be discussed on its own. It depends on the situation. If the situation calls for laughter, but you cry, then no matter how good your acting is, others would feel nothing. Acting should be centralized around the plot. No matter the actor, or the acting, they’re all to serve the plot. You must understand the direction of the plot. If you go against it, then everything is for naught.”
Ye Lingchen looked at Lu Xiaobu and Lin Wanyu who seemed to be in deep contemplation. He then calmly stated, “Both of you go to the second team and fix this part of the scene.”
This time, when compared to the previous attempt, was a big improvement.
Following that, Ye Lingchen continued to summon Chen Chichi and Hu Yifei over. Similarly, he broke it down and explained to them and had them redo the scenes.
To the viewers, filming might look simple; only requiring them to follow through the script and that was it.
However, it was nothing like that in reality. Putting aside the dangerous scenes, if one was lucky, it would be done in just one or two takes. Nevertheless, the real torture was when they get stuck in one scene for not getting the emotions right.
Having to repeat the same scene with the same lines—the dullness goes without saying. It could very well drive someone crazy.
That day’s filming was generally smooth. With its progress fully under Ye Lingchen’s control, they completed their objectives speedily. The others also saw improvement in their acting skills under Ye Lingchen’s guidance.
However, toward the end of the filming, they were met with some obstacles.
They were stuck in a particular shot. It was a rare instance with the full cast of iPartment gathered together in the bar below their apartment, chatting away while seated around the sofa.
That shot was not complicated at all. It belonged to the earlier episodes that were done previously. However, it was picked by Ye Lingchen for a retake, and that one retake slowed things down.
This time, Ye Lingchen did not point out their problems. He merely cut them off again and again and had them repeat it.
A simple chit-chatting scene was repeated over 20 times. Hu Yifei and the rest felt their mouths dry from talking, but the take still could not pass.
Anything that was repeated for more than 20 times would turn into some sort of torture. Moreover, acting was no simple feat, and their faces started showing signs of fatigue.
Only then did Ye Lingchen got up and walked into the set.
“Young Master Ye, you’re finally here.” Wanyu looked at him sheepishly, like a kid who made a mistake. She seemed to be at her wits’ end.
On the other hand, Hu Yifei merely stuck out her tongue and kept quiet.
“You guys all feel it right? Don’t you think this type of idle chatter is very awkward, making it difficult to even fake a smile?” Ye Lingchen asked quietly.
“Ugh…yes, a little.” Hu Yifei nodded. She had to listen to Meijia sharing a secret with her, but having known the script, she knew what the secret was. It was really difficult to create a suitable expression.
“Young Master Ye, my face is paralyzed from smiling.” Lu Xiaobu rubbed his cheeks as he whined.
“What did you learn?”
Lu Xiaobu contemplated for a moment. “Does getting tired count?”
Shaking his head, Ye Lingchen said softly, “That earlier scene, there are a total of six types of smiles that you guys needed to make.”
“Six types of smiles?” Everyone was stunned. ‘Are there that many types of smiles?”
“That’s right, but from the beginning to the end, you’ve only shown one type of smile. That makes the entire scene look very rigid and forced.” He paused for a moment, then continued, “For example, Meijia and Hu Yifei’s gossiping, the speaker should be showing a mysterious smile, while the listener should show a smile filled with anticipation. Once you’ve heard her secret, it should change into a surprised smile.”
Given that example, everyone started nodding in realization. However, they still had a frown on their faces.
That was too difficult!
It was easy to understand but difficult to put into action.
“Look at me.” Having said that, Ye Lingchen’s aura suddenly changed. His eyes turned cold, then slowly curled the edge of his lips. “Tell me, what kind of smile is this?”
“That’s an evil grin,” Wanyu answered with a shrug. In that instance earlier, her heart skipped a beat, feeling as though Ye Lingchen was trying to do something evil to her.
“Now lean over. I’ll tell you something interesting.” Ye Lingchen’s smile changed, raising his hand and curled his finger invitingly at Lin Wanyu.
The next moment, Lin Wanyu’s body almost leaned in unconsciously.
“This is the mysterious smile,” Meijia stated. “Wow, this is amazing.”
“Now?”
“That’s an awkward smile.”
“What about this?”
“A sad, bitter smile.”
…
Ye Lingchen’s smile kept changing. At first, everyone was curious and excited. However, over time, it turned into awe.
That was too monstrous. He was clearly the same person with the same face, but how could his smiles produce such different effects? How did he do that? That was just too exaggerated.
“Lingchen, you’re just too amazing.” Xiao Feifei could not resist covering her mouth, looking at Ye Lingchen in disbelief. If every actor had his acting skills, then even the worst movies could look good based on the acting alone.
Not just the actors, but the crew also had their mouths wide open from surprise. The speed he changed his expressions was just too fast.
“After seeing this, do you realize where the issue is?” Ye Lingchen asked suddenly.
They were all stunned. After a moment of silence, Hu Yifei spoke up, “It’s the eyes. Your gaze was different!”
Ye Lingchen shook his head. “Not just the eyes. There’s the soul.”
“I understand. Eyes are the windows to one’s soul. Lingchen’s meaning is to have us feel with our soul. You need to immerse yourself in that kind of situation, then express it with your gaze. As long as your feelings are on point, then regardless of whether you’re smiling or crying, you’ll be able to create a different feeling.” Xiao Feifei easily understood it. After all, she had a very good foundation.
“That’s right. This is the so-called inner thoughts.” Ye Lingchen nodded. “No need for extra lines and movements. Have the viewers understand your intentions and sympathize with you so that they can better immerse themselves in the story. However, in order to do that, you must first be in character! Apart from that, there are some little tricks. For example, one could adjust the muscles around the eyes and mouth to modify your expression and smile.”
Ye Lingchen went through his explanation bit by bit. After his initial explanation, the contents became more in depth. The techniques he talked about became more advanced, leaving them exasperated as they learned a great deal from it. They were all impatient to start experimenting. The fatigue from earlier was washed away…